I think I’m starting to understand part of Fred Thompson’s presidential strategy — to connect himself to as many Bush administration scandals as possible, which is a very canny strategy. As John Dean points out here Thompson is perhaps the most prominent public advocate for a pardon for Scooter Libby as well as a frequent source of false statements about the Libby prosecution. He’s also considering hiring Tim Griffin, star player in the US Attorney Purge scandal, as his presidential campaign manager.
Griffin, remember, is the Rove deputy who was appointed US Attorney in the Eastern District of Arkansas under the USA Patriot Act. (Another factoid: We haven’t reported all the details yet, but it was, ironically, Griffin’s loose lips, in a very roundabout way, that played an important role in bringing the scandal to the front pages.)
I assume that Thompson will probably be working to insinuate himself into other Bush administration scandals. So let us know if you find other examples.
Late Update: Thompson has been popping up in so many places preaching the Scooter gospel, I was wondering: did he get hired to represent, advocate, whatever on behalf of getting Scooter a pardon? We contacted Thompson’s spokesperson, Mark Corallo (who’s also worked for the Scooter fund and Karl Rove), and asked if Thompson has received any cash for his advocacy. Answer: No, says Corallo.
